For this sought-out expert, personal style has as much to do with one's home as it does one's closet

Lilly Bunn Weekes

Lilly Bunn Weekes

The woman: Lilly Bunn Weekes, 31, New York City

The job: Interior designer, Lilly Bunn Inc. Her day is spent meeting with clients, shopping for upholstery, wrangling two young daughters, and consulting with contractors in revamping homes that range from the Upper East Side "classic six" to haute hipster townhouses in Brooklyn.

ELLE: You call yourself a minimalist, yet you love original moldings and quirky wallpaper. How do you reconcile that?

Lilly Bunn Weekes: I like to try different aesthetics, though I don't like to buy a lot of things. Maybe it's because I'm from New York City; I like to have room. I buy mostly black and navy clothes from Barneys, and I filter them with pieces from less expensive brands, like H&M or Zara, then donate all but the useful pieces at the end of the year; I think it's a space thing. I'm inspired by a lot of different things and people. I like the work of Robert Stilin, Steven Gambrel, Bunny Williams, Kelly Wearstler. Seeing a friend's house, you learn everything about the person in one second.

Showroom Appointment

Showroom Appointment

ELLE: When did you know you wanted to be an interior designer?

LBW: When I was growing up, my best friend's mother was an editor at House Beautiful, and they had the most gorgeous apartment you've ever seen. It had hand-painted wallpaper in the dining room and a big wood-paneled library and amazing chintzes and over-the-top everything. The first time I saw their place was when I knew that I really wanted to do that.

ELLE: Did you always know your design style? Or did you play around to find it?

LBW: It evolves constantly. The same as my fashion sense. When I first started working as a fashion editor at Town & Country, I was wearing things like a hot pink tube top with a giant red flower on the side. Now…am I going to wear the hot pink dress to every party? No. But maybe the black dress I'll wear four times that year, with different necklaces. Like with my interiors, I don't want to go over the top with really colorful fabrics and bright prints. I want the main pieces in the room to be neutral so you can rework things over time. I'm high-low: I like cheap with expensive. I want to get the most out of my things. I tell my clients, "It's my job to take your budget and get the most I can for you out of it"